Billy Corgan sang the praises of KISS when Consequence caught up with the Smashing Pumpkins frontman at the recent 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, where he inducted KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
“A lot of KISS fans focused on the ’70s, because that’s when they broke through, and they were literally the biggest band in the world,” Corgan told us in the video above. “But what I’m so impressed by with Gene and Paul is that they made the transition to ’80s, and if you think about it, some of the late ’70s KISS basically foreshadowed the hair metal phase that was coming. And they adapted their songwriting to what we would now call hair metal, and had a whole ‘nother run of hits… I think that’s one of their greatest accomplishments.”
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Corgan also commented on KISS’ planned avatar show, which is tentatively set to debut in Las Vegas in 2028. “I think it would be incredible,” he said. “Knowing them, it’ll be amazing if it gets pulled off. At the end of the day… great songs, great band, and Gene and Paul are two of the greatest frontmen in the history of rock, so does that translate to an avatar situation?… I hope they pull it off.”
In addition to working on the avatar show, Simmons and Stanley will perform with their KISS bandmates at the upcoming 2026 edition of the “KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas” event, taking place November 13th-15th at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (pick up tickets here).
